Product: Dallas-Arbiter Torre Flamenco Guitar
Price Paid: 7 (yes, seven) (GBP) used
Submitted
09/12/2004
at
06:55am
by
Nick Daisley
Email: ndaisley at aol<dot>com
Features
:
3
Made in Japan, probably 1970s (model 4438). The label suggests that 'Dallas Arbiter' was based in London?
Spanish-style, but the 'Flamenco' appelation means that they have built it quite strongly, with heavy bracing. There was a heavy black scratch-plate glued to the front - we're talking 1/16" thick - which I have taken off and am trying to get rid of glue traces from the front of the guitar. Stripping that off has made an instant improvement to the sound!
It has a laminated top with quite noticeable 'dishing' in front of the bridge which is unsurprising in a guitar of this age. For goodness' sake, even the fingerboard is a five-layer laminate, and they have painted the edge black to disguise the fact! Intriguingly, the saddle is a quality, bone one - possibly not as supplied - and there are a few nice abalone dots to decorate.
Wide and easily-playable neck, even by 'Spanish' standards.
Sound
:
4
Sound quality is probably fine for accompanying some noisy dancing - in other words, not great, but it is an old and tired instrument.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
4
Despite decades of quite hard use (a few dints, paint lost along the fingerboard edge etc), the action is still perfectly usable. The tuning heads are not of great quality - one, I will have to try to repair.
Such bracings as I can see were probably die-cut, and no attempt has been made to even sand them down, so pretty rough and ready - but it all holds together well.
Reliability/Durability
:
8
As elsewhere shown, it looks to me as though this guitar has seen many years of quite hard use (who knows whether accompanying flamenco dancing?) and is still very usable (or will be after a bit of tlc). It maybe loses points for finish, but I can't begrudge it points for longevity.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
n/a
Overall Rating
:
5
My primary reason for posting this is to provide one more entry against Dallas Arbiter, otherwise known (on the web as elsewhere) only for guitar effects! So a historical curiosity rather than anything else.
However I do intend to do some work on it and provide it as a working instrument to a child of my acquaintance, since I guess I would rate this as better than some recent 'beginner' Spanish guitars I have seen around, but I don't think it can ever have been a stellar performer.
Have a look if you do ever find one for almost no money at a garage sale, just don't expect Segovia to be too impressed.........
